Destination Wedding Blog

Where to have a Destination Wedding?

November 11, 2012

As I look back through the blogs I have written over the past 2 years which have been solely devoted to destination weddings, I realize that the topics didn’t dig deep into the best places to have a destination wedding.

When a couple is looking for a location, the options are endless. Sometimes too many options often make the process very draining and stressful. There are a few questions a couple can ask themselves, which I will list below, and then if you review some of the other blogs I have written about religion, beach/non beach locations, legal vs. symbolic weddings, I think you will have a better understanding of the destinations that might be perfect for you. Here are some of the determining questions VIP Vacations asks our wedding couples and how we move through the process in determining what might be the right fit for our couples. (Establishing that the couple is looking for a “tropical location”, this is where we begin)

1st question- are you looking for an all-inclusive resort. If you answer YES—this reduces many destination options and primarily leaves, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Even in the Caribbean, not every island offers all-inclusive resorts.
Assuming your answer is yes, move to the next question:

2nd question- are you looking for an adult’s only all-inclusive resort? If you answer yes, you have just narrowed down your options even further and can start to look at only St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Mexico, Jamaica, Antigua, and the Dominican Republic.
Assuming your answer is yes, move to the next question:

3rd question- are you looking for a legal ceremony that requires a short “residency” before getting married. If you answer yes, you have now narrowed your options to St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Antigua.
Assuming your answer is yes, move to the next question:

4th question, are you looking for a shorter flight? The answer here will depend on the city you are flying from, but in many instances, St. Lucia and Antigua require a connecting flight and are further south so the flight time is longer. Assuming you want a shorter flight, then your options are now Jamaica and the Bahamas.

This is clearly a hypothetical situation but it took 4 questions to get to 2 destinations. Now, we can narrow it down even further, as there are only a few resort brands that are adults only, all inclusive and located in those destinations.

5th question, are you interested in a Sandals resort? If your answer is yes, then pricing will now be addressed. If your answer is No, then other resort brands are mentioned and the process of narrowing those down starts.

What seemed like a very daunting task with many options is now made much easier and it demonstrates the importance of working with a destination wedding specialist that asks the right questions and can provide guidance. Do you need some help narrowing things down? Why not call a VIP destination wedding expert and begin your stress-less experience?